Have you ever open eyes when you are sleeping, and awake from sleep? Your eyes were opened, but you can't move your limbs? But you can only move your eyes, looking around your room, and suddenly, you've seen a malevolent force appeared right besides you, and sometimes on your chest! You are too scared to look at it and you try to close your eyes. If you do encounter this eerie nightmare when you're awake, you are not alone. In fact, many people encountered this wide awake nightmare at least once in their life time. This phenomenon scientifically known as sleep paralysis.
The series of sleep paralysis generally lasted for a single episode or recurrent. Typically, this phenomenon caused by sleep deprivation, psychological stress, and abnormal sleep cycles which triggered the patients awake during the rapid eye movement(REM) while falling asleep.
REM is a sleep stage when an individual is fall asleep, and brain activity is triggered as the particular person is wide awake. Images, ideas, emotions, sensations and voices manifest in the individual mind vividly while asleep, which is known as dream. The brain activity responsibles for movement were shut down to prevent the sleeper from experiences sommanbulism syndrome or sleep walking. When REM stage and waking stage of sleep dysfunctionally overlaps, sleep paralysis occurs as sleep patterns disrupted; the eyes of an individual probably wide awake during the REM stage, thus, triggered fear in the individual mind. As the person frightened for being unable to move, he or she may experience a frightening visions such as demon, ghost, supernatural entities and aliens: human generally fears of the unknown. Common noises such as hissing, static, zapping and humming were reported when sufferers experiencing sleep paralysis.
What does the poor patient see during the sleep paralysis? Well, different culture may probably see's different hallucinations. This may explained the theories of alien abduction, usually from the western culture, where sometimes, victims claim to have communicate with the aliens through telepathy, physical and physiology experiment and sexual assault. Other apparitions include Night Hag, an old witch, succubus, demonic visitation and shadow people. As for the eastern culture, sleep paralysis known as 鬼压身(Gui Ya Shen) or ghost pressed on the body and kanashibari in Japan.
As for Malaysia, a few decades ago, oily people or Orang Minyak reportedly haunt everywhere in Malaysia particularly girls in Malay villages. Most probably, the sightings of orang minyak occurs due to the mentioned phenomenon.
As for Malaysia, a few decades ago, oily people or Orang Minyak reportedly haunt everywhere in Malaysia particularly girls in Malay villages. Most probably, the sightings of orang minyak occurs due to the mentioned phenomenon.
The Scientific Perspective of Sleep Paralysis
The patophysiology of sleep paralysis is yet to be identified, but various theories has been proposed about the caused of the eerie awakening.
Firstly, it was caused by irregular REM stage as mentioned above. Secondly, the brain function that promotes sleep were out of balance causes different stage of sleep to overlap with each other.
But what is the caused of the hallucination even if we are a healthy human being? The research from neuroscientific doctors shows that the sense of intruder arise during hallucinations, due of the disturbance of the multisensory processing of body, and also temporoparietal junction. As
as a result, terrifying apparitions hallucinate by the sufferers.
The hallucinations may be worsen when the patient develop hyper-vigilence when the individual wake up paralysed and feel vulnerable to the attack, he or she may have intense fear and tried to move away from the terrifying vision, which explains the series of alien abductions were so vivid in the memory of an individual who experienced it.
The patophysiology of sleep paralysis is yet to be identified, but various theories has been proposed about the caused of the eerie awakening.
Firstly, it was caused by irregular REM stage as mentioned above. Secondly, the brain function that promotes sleep were out of balance causes different stage of sleep to overlap with each other.
But what is the caused of the hallucination even if we are a healthy human being? The research from neuroscientific doctors shows that the sense of intruder arise during hallucinations, due of the disturbance of the multisensory processing of body, and also temporoparietal junction. As
as a result, terrifying apparitions hallucinate by the sufferers.
The hallucinations may be worsen when the patient develop hyper-vigilence when the individual wake up paralysed and feel vulnerable to the attack, he or she may have intense fear and tried to move away from the terrifying vision, which explains the series of alien abductions were so vivid in the memory of an individual who experienced it.
Sometimes, out of body experience occurs when the individual tried to 'fight back' with the malevolent vision. It was believe that this phenomenal caused by the mirror neuron system modulate by the sensory afferents and prefrontal cortex, and allows the brain to 'see' the world from third person perspective.
Treatment
Sleep paralysis can be avoided by improving our sleeping habits.
※ Firstly, we should get a good night sleep, as adult generally needs 6-8 hours sleep per day.
※ Secondly, we should go to bed around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
※ Thirdly, create a comfortable environment which is not too hot, not too cold, quiet and dark.
※ Fourthly, avoid drinking coffee and eating big meals an hour before going to bed.
※ Do exercise regularly but not everyday.
※ Avoid stress and anxiety
※ Seek medication such as antidepressant if you are chronic sufferer of sleep paralysis.
Now, if you are unlucky enough to encounter sleep paralysis, what should you do?
※ Firstly, we should get a good night sleep, as adult generally needs 6-8 hours sleep per day.
※ Secondly, we should go to bed around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
※ Thirdly, create a comfortable environment which is not too hot, not too cold, quiet and dark.
※ Fourthly, avoid drinking coffee and eating big meals an hour before going to bed.
※ Do exercise regularly but not everyday.
※ Avoid stress and anxiety
※ Seek medication such as antidepressant if you are chronic sufferer of sleep paralysis.
Now, if you are unlucky enough to encounter sleep paralysis, what should you do?
※ Relax your body. Do not fight or move your body forcefully as this will increase the chance of 'it' to appear in your mind.
※ Gently move your finger and toes as the smaller movement tell the brain that your body is awake and ready to stop the REM sleeps.
※ Blink your eyes and look around your room. Slowly, move your lips and facial muscle. This will even further the trigger to your brain to awake your body.
※ Breath slowly, deeply, and relax. Tell yourself that this is just a scientific phenomenon that can be occur to everyone. Sing your favourite song, preferable with a catchy beat in your mind and imagine that you were chilling at a beach.
※ If you have a sleeping partner shares bed with you, consider to ask them to help you. Focus your attention to your throat, choose a short word and murmur 'help' when sleep paralysis occurs, so that your sleeping partner shake your body to fully awake you, but do not scream as you will say it in your dream: your imagination will take over you if you tried to do that.
※ Gently move your finger and toes as the smaller movement tell the brain that your body is awake and ready to stop the REM sleeps.
※ Blink your eyes and look around your room. Slowly, move your lips and facial muscle. This will even further the trigger to your brain to awake your body.
※ Breath slowly, deeply, and relax. Tell yourself that this is just a scientific phenomenon that can be occur to everyone. Sing your favourite song, preferable with a catchy beat in your mind and imagine that you were chilling at a beach.
※ If you have a sleeping partner shares bed with you, consider to ask them to help you. Focus your attention to your throat, choose a short word and murmur 'help' when sleep paralysis occurs, so that your sleeping partner shake your body to fully awake you, but do not scream as you will say it in your dream: your imagination will take over you if you tried to do that.
Media
There were few movies journalize the phenomenon of sleep paralysis in fictional accounts. Some of these films are based on a true story!
1 - The Nightmare
The documentary focus on Ascher, interview with eight sufferer of sleep paralysis. Their experience was reennacted by the professional film actors.
2 - The Conjuring
In one of the main scene, the guy sits on a chair and find himself unable to move. After awhile, he rise up and saw his own body. Although sleep paralysis wasn't the prime focus in the movie, the scene alone can caused some discomfort to the viewers.
3 - The Babadook
An Australian horror movie which chronicles a mother discovered that a malevolent creature from her son's storybook haunts them in real life, including sleep paralysis.
4 - Dead Awake
A private investigator investigates several unusual death which are all connected and all the victims suffers from sleep paralysis.
5 - Shadow People
An investigator investigate the series of death involving the victims seeing the nocturnal entity known as 'shadow people' before their death. This film is claimed to be based on a true accounts on victims encountered shadowy figures before dying in their sleep.
It's kinda scary tho John
ReplyDeleteMore to come. Haha
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